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Vision, 16 February 1832 [D&C 76]

Source Note

“The Vision,”
Hiram Township

Area settled by immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England, ca. 1802. Located in northeastern Ohio about twenty-five miles southeast of Kirtland. Population in 1830 about 500. Population in 1840 about 1,100. JS lived in township at home of John and Alice...

More Info
, OH, 16 Feb. 1832; signed by
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
and JS. Featured version copied [between 16 Feb. and 8 Mar. 1832] in Revelation Book 2, pp. 1–10; handwriting of
Frederick G. Williams

28 Oct. 1787–10 Oct. 1842. Ship’s pilot, teacher, physician, justice of the peace. Born at Suffield, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of William Wheeler Williams and Ruth Granger. Moved to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1799. Practiced Thomsonian botanical system...

View Full Bio
and JS; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 2.

Historical Introduction

On 16 February 1832, JS and
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
saw a vision “concerning the economy of God and his vast creation throughout all eternity,” likely while in the upstairs bedroom of the
John

11 Apr. 1778–30 July 1843. Farmer, innkeeper. Born at Chesterfield, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of Israel Johnson and Abigail Higgins. Married Alice (Elsa) Jacobs, 22 June 1800. Moved to Pomfret, Windsor Co., Vermont, ca. 1803. Settled at Hiram, Portage...

View Full Bio
and Alice (Elsa) Jacobs Johnson home in
Hiram

Area settled by immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England, ca. 1802. Located in northeastern Ohio about twenty-five miles southeast of Kirtland. Population in 1830 about 500. Population in 1840 about 1,100. JS lived in township at home of John and Alice...

More Info
, Ohio. This vision came after JS returned from the January
conference

A meeting where ecclesiastical officers and other church members could conduct church business. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed the elders to hold conferences to perform “Church business.” The first of these conferences was held on 9 June...

View Glossary
in
Amherst

Located in northeastern Ohio on southern shore of Lake Erie. Area settled, ca. 1810. County organized, 1824. Formed from Black River Township, Dec. 1829. Population in 1830 about 600. Population in 1840 about 1,200. Parley P. Pratt settled in township, Dec...

More Info
, Ohio, and after he resumed his work of revising the New Testament at the Johnson home, with Rigdon working as scribe. According to a later JS history, revelations JS had dictated up to February 1832 showed “that many important points, touching the salvation of man, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled.” Included in these “important points” was information on what happens after death. This information led JS to think “that if God rewarded every one according to the deeds done in the body, the term ‘heaven,’ . . . must include more kingdoms than one.”
1

JS History, vol. A-1, 183.


According to the description of the vision, on 16 February 1832, JS and Rigdon reviewed John 5:29, wherein Jesus Christ prophesies that the dead will “come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” They reported that when they pondered this verse they together beheld a vision of what awaited humankind after death.
JS and
Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
’s description of the vision outlined three levels of heavenly glory—
celestial

Highest kingdom of glory in the afterlife; symbolically represented by the sun. According to a vision dated 16 February 1832, inheritors of the celestial kingdom “are they who received the testimony of Jesus, & believed on his name, & were baptized,” “receive...

View Glossary
,
terrestrial

One of three kingdoms, or degrees, of glory in the afterlife; symbolically represented by the moon. According to JS and Sidney Rigdon’s account of a 16 February 1832 vision, those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom are those who “received not the testimony...

View Glossary
, and
telestial

The lowest of three kingdoms, or degrees, of glory in the afterlife; symbolically represented by the stars. According to JS and Sidney Rigdon’s account of a 16 February 1832 vision, those “who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus...

View Glossary
—and the requirements for entrance into each. According to their report, every person who lived on earth—apart from followers of
Satan

A fallen angel, or son of God, known by many names, including Lucifer, the devil, the father of lies, the prince of darkness, perdition, and the adversary. In the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and JS’s Bible revisions, Satan was described as a tempter of men...

View Glossary
known as “sons of perdition”—would spend the afterlife in one of these “kingdoms.” These concepts differed considerably from views of the afterlife held by most Protestant churches that the souls of the “righteous” are received into heaven while the “wicked” are cast into hell. Other thinkers and theologians, however, had conceptions of heaven that were more similar to JS and Rigdon’s vision: The Universalist church, with which JS’s grandfather Asael Smith had affiliated, proclaimed that Christ would temporarily punish sinners but eventually redeem all people.
2

Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 199.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish scientist and mystic, posited in the mid-1700s that heaven consisted of three different levels (celestial, spiritual, and natural).
3

McDannell and Lang, Heaven: A History, 181–182, 199–200; Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 198–199.


Comprehensive Works Cited

McDannell, Colleen, and Bernhard Lang. Heaven: A History. 2nd ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001. 07

Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

Alexander Campbell

12 Sept. 1788–4 Mar. 1866. Teacher, minister, magazine publisher, college president. Born near Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Ireland. Son of Thomas Campbell and Jane Corneigle. Raised Presbyterian. Moved to Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, 1808. Immigrated to Buffalo ...

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, Rigdon’s former associate in the Disciples of Christ, also wrote about “three kingdoms”—the Kingdom of Law, the Kingdom of Favor, and the Kingdom of Glory. Campbell’s Kingdoms of Law and Favor, however, could be experienced during mortal life, and only the Kingdom of Glory was reserved for the afterlife. In describing these three kingdoms, Campbell wrote that the first was entered through birth, the second through baptism, and the third through good works. One differed from the next, Campbell declared, “as the sun excelled a star.”
4

Alexander Campbell, “Three Kingdoms,” Christian Baptist, 1 June 1829, 253–257; see also Staker, Hearken, O Ye People, 322–326.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Christian Baptist. Bethany, VA. 1823–1830.

Staker, Mark L. Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith’s Ohio Revelations. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2009.

Neither JS nor
Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
described in detail how the vision occurred—only that they both saw it at the same time. The shared nature of the vision made it somewhat unusual. Although some experiences of angelic visitations had multiple participants—including the appearance of John the Baptist to JS and
Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

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in May 1829 and the appearance of an
angel

Being who acts as a minister and messenger between heaven and earth. JS taught that angels were individuals who “belonged to this earth”; those who had already lived on earth were often resurrected beings. In addition to giving instruction, direction, and...

View Glossary
showing the
gold plates

A record engraved on gold plates, which JS translated and published as the Book of Mormon. The text explained that the plates were an abridgment of other ancient records and were written by an American prophet named Mormon and his son Moroni. The plates were...

View Glossary
to Cowdery,
David Whitmer

7 Jan. 1805–25 Jan. 1888. Farmer, livery keeper. Born near Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Raised Presbyterian. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, shortly after birth. Attended German Reformed Church. Arranged...

View Full Bio
, and
Martin Harris

18 May 1783–10 July 1875. Farmer. Born at Easton, Albany Co., New York. Son of Nathan Harris and Rhoda Lapham. Moved with parents to area of Swift’s landing (later in Palmyra), Ontario Co., New York, 1793. Married first his first cousin Lucy Harris, 27 Mar...

View Full Bio
in the summer of 1829
5

JS History, vol. A-1, 17–18; Testimony of Three Witnesses, Late June 1829.


—most visions and revelations had been experienced by JS alone.
Philo Dibble

6 June 1806–7 June 1895. Farmer, real estate developer, ferryboat operator, merchant, boardinghouse operator. Born in Peru, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orator Dibble and Beulah Pomeroy. Moved to Granby, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts, by 1816. Moved...

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, who claimed to have been with JS and Rigdon in the Johnson home when the vision occurred,
6

Dibble gave his recollection of the experience on at least three occasions, and each retelling included unique features. Dibble told a congregation in Payson, Utah, in 1877 that “he was present when Jos. Smith and Sidney Rigdon . . . had that glorious vision of the creation &c.” In 1882, Dibble stated that he arrived at the Johnson home “just as Joseph and Sidney were coming out of the vision.” In neither of these accounts did he give a description of how JS and Rigdon experienced the vision; that detail came only in a retelling published in 1892. (Payson Ward, General Minutes, vol. 5, 7 Jan. 1877; Dibble, “Philo Dibble’s Narrative,” 81; Dibble, “Recollections of the Prophet,” 303–304.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Payson Ward. General Minutes, 1850–1892. CHL. LR 6814 11.

Dibble, Philo. “Philo Dibble’s Narrative.” In Early Scenes in Church History, Faith-Promoting Series 8, pp. 74–96. Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882.

Dibble, Philo. “Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” Juvenile Instructor, 15 May 1892, 303–304.

later recounted that JS and Rigdon sat in the upstairs room, where they had conducted much of their work on the Bible revision, with twelve other men. By turns, either JS or Rigdon would ask, “What do I see?” and then relate the scene, after which the other would reply, “I see the same.” There is no indication in Dibble’s account that anyone was recording the vision as it occurred; instead, Dibble said there was “not a sound nor motion made by anyone” in the room. Dibble recalled that neither JS nor Rigdon “moved a joint or limb during the time I was there.”
7

Dibble, “Recollections of the Prophet,” 303–304.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Dibble, Philo. “Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” Juvenile Instructor, 15 May 1892, 303–304.

The text of the vision account itself contains JS and
Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
’s descriptions of what they saw, interspersed with the voice of Deity explicating parts of the vision. According to this record, Jesus Christ conversed with JS and Rigdon during the vision. In some ways, such interaction parallels other visions recounted in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon, for example, describes a prophet named Nephi being taken by “the spirit” to “an exceeding high mountain,” where he is shown, among other things, Jesus Christ’s life on earth. Nephi’s account of this vision records both what he saw and questions and statements made by “the spirit” and by an angel as they observed the vision with Nephi.
8

Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 23–26 [1 Nephi chap. 11]. John the Revelator is also instructed by “the Son of man” in his apocalyptic vision of the last days. (Revelation 1:10–13.)


How or precisely when JS and
Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
recorded the experience of seeing the vision is unknown. According to the written account of the vision, JS and Rigdon were commanded four separate times to record what they were seeing. It may be that they made a record after each command and then proceeded. Alternatively, JS and Rigdon may not have recorded anything until after the vision concluded. They were instructed to write their account while they were “yet in the spirit,” and the text in the account indicates that they did so. If JS and Rigdon recorded the event after its conclusion, therefore, they apparently did so soon thereafter. The first part of the vision (beginning “Here O ye heavens” and ending “. . . yet entered into the heart of man”) seems similar in language and style to JS’s revelations, suggesting that JS may have dictated the first part separately from the rest of the account. It is unknown whether JS dictated the entire record to Rigdon, Rigdon wrote it himself, or the two worked collaboratively. Whatever the case, both apparently signed the record after its preparation as a testament to its legitimacy.
9

Extant records do not show that any other revelatory text was signed in this way.


The placement of Rigdon’s signature before JS’s indicates that Rigdon was serving as the scribe for the account and signed after completing it. Moreover, JS and Rigdon’s vision occurred, as their own account attests, “as we sat doing the work of translation”—in which process Rigdon served as a scribe. Rigdon had also recently transcribed some of JS’s dictated revelations.
The earliest extant copy of the account of the vision is in
Frederick G. Williams

28 Oct. 1787–10 Oct. 1842. Ship’s pilot, teacher, physician, justice of the peace. Born at Suffield, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of William Wheeler Williams and Ruth Granger. Moved to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 1799. Practiced Thomsonian botanical system...

View Full Bio
’s handwriting, with a few lines penned by JS. Williams was doing scribal work for JS in July 1832 (and possibly as early as February). He and JS copied the account of the vision into a new blank book—probably during February or March 1832—making the vision the first item in Revelation Book 2. Indeed, JS may have purchased the book for the purpose of entering the account of the vision, given the vision’s emphasis on writing down what was seen. Additional copies of the document quickly circulated.
10

Seth Johnson and Joel Johnson brought a copy to New York state and showed it to Samuel Smith and Orson Hyde on 27 March 1832 while Smith and Hyde were proselytizing. William W. Phelps also published it in the second issue of The Evening and the Morning Star, which indicates its importance to church members. (Samuel Smith, Diary, 27 Mar. 1832; “A Vision,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [2]–[3].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Samuel. Diary, Feb. 1832–May 1833. CHL. MS 4213.

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

Reaction to the contents of the vision varied among individuals in the
Hiram

Area settled by immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England, ca. 1802. Located in northeastern Ohio about twenty-five miles southeast of Kirtland. Population in 1830 about 500. Population in 1840 about 1,100. JS lived in township at home of John and Alice...

More Info
community and among church members in other areas. Some, such as
Lincoln Haskins

27 Aug. 1779–10 Dec. 1855. Farmer. Born in Shutesbury, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Son of Nathan Haskins and Phebe Lincoln. Moved to Savoy, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, by Mar. 1802. Married Experience Paine, 12 Apr. 1802, in Savoy. Moved to Nunda, Allegany...

View Full Bio
, thought it contained “great & marvilous things.”
11

Samuel Smith, Diary, 21 Mar. 1832.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Samuel. Diary, Feb. 1832–May 1833. CHL. MS 4213.

Others struggled to reconcile its concepts of the afterlife with traditional notions of heaven and hell.
12

See, for example, JS et al., Kirtland, OH, to “Dearly Beloved Brethren,” Geneseo, NY, 23 Nov. 1833, CHL; “Special Conference of the Elders,” Deseret News, Extra, 14 Sept. 1852, 24–25.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Joseph, et al. Letter, Kirtland, OH, to “Dearly Beloved Brethren,” Geneseo, NY, 23 Nov. 1833. CHL. MS 3414.

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

It also became a target of criticism by outsiders, some of whom regarded it as both “pompous” and an attempt to “embrace and teach Universalism.”
13

“Mormonism,” Ohio Atlas and Lorain County Gazette (Elyria), 11 Oct. 1832, 2; “Changes of Mormonism,” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, 17 Mar. 1832, 67.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ogden Junction. Ogden, Utah Territory. 1870–1881.Ohio Atlas and Lorain County Gazette. Elyria, OH. 1832–1833.

Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate. Utica, NY. 1830–1850.

A later JS history stated that the vision transcended the knowledge of the afterlife available at the time, declaring that “nothing could be more pleasing to the Saint, upon the order of the kingdom of the Lord, than the light which burst upon the world, through the . . . vision.”
14

JS History, vol. A-1, 192.


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 183.

  2. [2]

    Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 199.

    Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

  3. [3]

    McDannell and Lang, Heaven: A History, 181–182, 199–200; Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 198–199.

    McDannell, Colleen, and Bernhard Lang. Heaven: A History. 2nd ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001. 07

    Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

  4. [4]

    Alexander Campbell, “Three Kingdoms,” Christian Baptist, 1 June 1829, 253–257; see also Staker, Hearken, O Ye People, 322–326.

    Christian Baptist. Bethany, VA. 1823–1830.

    Staker, Mark L. Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith’s Ohio Revelations. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2009.

  5. [5]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 17–18; Testimony of Three Witnesses, Late June 1829.

  6. [6]

    Dibble gave his recollection of the experience on at least three occasions, and each retelling included unique features. Dibble told a congregation in Payson, Utah, in 1877 that “he was present when Jos. Smith and Sidney Rigdon . . . had that glorious vision of the creation &c.” In 1882, Dibble stated that he arrived at the Johnson home “just as Joseph and Sidney were coming out of the vision.” In neither of these accounts did he give a description of how JS and Rigdon experienced the vision; that detail came only in a retelling published in 1892. (Payson Ward, General Minutes, vol. 5, 7 Jan. 1877; Dibble, “Philo Dibble’s Narrative,” 81; Dibble, “Recollections of the Prophet,” 303–304.)

    Payson Ward. General Minutes, 1850–1892. CHL. LR 6814 11.

    Dibble, Philo. “Philo Dibble’s Narrative.” In Early Scenes in Church History, Faith-Promoting Series 8, pp. 74–96. Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882.

    Dibble, Philo. “Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” Juvenile Instructor, 15 May 1892, 303–304.

  7. [7]

    Dibble, “Recollections of the Prophet,” 303–304.

    Dibble, Philo. “Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” Juvenile Instructor, 15 May 1892, 303–304.

  8. [8]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 23–26 [1 Nephi chap. 11]. John the Revelator is also instructed by “the Son of man” in his apocalyptic vision of the last days. (Revelation 1:10–13.)

  9. [9]

    Extant records do not show that any other revelatory text was signed in this way.

  10. [10]

    Seth Johnson and Joel Johnson brought a copy to New York state and showed it to Samuel Smith and Orson Hyde on 27 March 1832 while Smith and Hyde were proselytizing. William W. Phelps also published it in the second issue of The Evening and the Morning Star, which indicates its importance to church members. (Samuel Smith, Diary, 27 Mar. 1832; “A Vision,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [2]–[3].)

    Smith, Samuel. Diary, Feb. 1832–May 1833. CHL. MS 4213.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  11. [11]

    Samuel Smith, Diary, 21 Mar. 1832.

    Smith, Samuel. Diary, Feb. 1832–May 1833. CHL. MS 4213.

  12. [12]

    See, for example, JS et al., Kirtland, OH, to “Dearly Beloved Brethren,” Geneseo, NY, 23 Nov. 1833, CHL; “Special Conference of the Elders,” Deseret News, Extra, 14 Sept. 1852, 24–25.

    Smith, Joseph, et al. Letter, Kirtland, OH, to “Dearly Beloved Brethren,” Geneseo, NY, 23 Nov. 1833. CHL. MS 3414.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  13. [13]

    “Mormonism,” Ohio Atlas and Lorain County Gazette (Elyria), 11 Oct. 1832, 2; “Changes of Mormonism,” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, 17 Mar. 1832, 67.

    Ogden Junction. Ogden, Utah Territory. 1870–1881.Ohio Atlas and Lorain County Gazette. Elyria, OH. 1832–1833.

    Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate. Utica, NY. 1830–1850.

  14. [14]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 192.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Vision, 16 February 1832 [D&C 76]
Revelation Book 2 Vision, 16 February 1832, as Recorded in Gilbert, Notebook [D&C 76] Revelation Book 1 Revelations printed in The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1832–June 1833 Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836 Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] Doctrine and Covenants, 1844 “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 1

Frederick G. Williams handwriting begins.


The Vision
A vision of Joseph &
Sidney [Rigdon]

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
February 16th. 1832 given in Portage County
Hiram Township

Area settled by immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England, ca. 1802. Located in northeastern Ohio about twenty-five miles southeast of Kirtland. Population in 1830 about 500. Population in 1840 about 1,100. JS lived in township at home of John and Alice...

More Info
State of Ohio in North Ame[r]ica which they saw concerning the church of the first born and concerning the economy of God and his vast creation througout all eternity
1

This introduction is not included in the account of the vision published in The Evening and the Morning Star, but it is included in the copy John Whitmer inscribed in Revelation Book 1. (“A Vision,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [2]–[3]; Revelation Book 1, p. 135[a].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

Here O ye heavens & give ere [ear] O earth
2

See Isaiah 1:2.


and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof for the lord he is God and beside him there is none else
3

See Deuteronomy 4:35.


for great is his wisdom, marvilous are his ways and the extent of his doings none can find out[.] his purposes fail not neither are there any who can stay his hand,
4

TEXT: Possibly “hands” (without a comma).


from eternity to eternity, he is the same and his years never fail I the Lord am merciful and gracious unto them who fear me and delight to honor them who serve me in righteousness and in truth
5

TEXT: Frederick G. Williams handwriting ends; JS begins.


great shall be their reward and Eternal Shall be their glory and unto them will I reveal all misteries yea all the hiden misteries
6

“Any thing in the character or attributes of God, or in the economy of divine providence, which is not revealed to man. . . . The idea of something awfully sublime or important; something that excites wonder.” (“Mystery,” in American Dictionary [1828].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.

of my Kingdom from days of old and for ages to come will I make Known unto them the good pleasure of my will
7

See Ephesians 1:9.


concerning all things to come yea

JS handwriting ends; Frederick G. Williams begins.


even the wonders of eternity shall they know and things to come will I shew them even the things of many generations there wisdom shall be great and there understanding reach to heaven and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught
8

See Isaiah 29:14; and Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 111 [2 Nephi 27:26].


for by my spirit will I enlighten them and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will yea even those things which eye has not seen nor ear heard nor yet entered into the heart of man
9

See 1 Corinthians 2:9.


We Joseph &
Sidney

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

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being in the Spirit on the [p. 1]
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Page 1

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Vision, 16 February 1832 [D&C 76]
ID #
2949
Total Pages
10
Print Volume Location
JSP, D2:179–192
Handwriting on This Page
  • Frederick G. Williams
  • Joseph Smith Jr.

Footnotes

  1. new scribe logo

    Frederick G. Williams handwriting begins.

  2. [1]

    This introduction is not included in the account of the vision published in The Evening and the Morning Star, but it is included in the copy John Whitmer inscribed in Revelation Book 1. (“A Vision,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [2]–[3]; Revelation Book 1, p. 135[a].)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

  3. [2]

    See Isaiah 1:2.

  4. [3]

    See Deuteronomy 4:35.

  5. [4]

    TEXT: Possibly “hands” (without a comma).

  6. [5]

    TEXT: Frederick G. Williams handwriting ends; JS begins.

  7. [6]

    “Any thing in the character or attributes of God, or in the economy of divine providence, which is not revealed to man. . . . The idea of something awfully sublime or important; something that excites wonder.” (“Mystery,” in American Dictionary [1828].)

    An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.

  8. [7]

    See Ephesians 1:9.

  9. new scribe logo

    JS handwriting ends; Frederick G. Williams begins.

  10. [8]

    See Isaiah 29:14; and Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 111 [2 Nephi 27:26].

  11. [9]

    See 1 Corinthians 2:9.

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